Does Outsourcing Software Development Work?

It is true that outsourcing software development has had its fair share of downs. Those are predominantly owing to human error and have nothing to do with the general concept of outsourcing overall. In fact, outsourcing has been deemed as a highly practical approach toward creating short-term software projects from scratch. Even tech giants like Microsoft, Intel, IBM, and many more have opted for having their everyday software projects outsourced as opposed to hiring and organizing a complete in-house team for each.

So, the underlying problem is that companies often don’t give much time to this process. Since one of their sole purposes of outsourcing is being able to direct their focus toward other complex functions of the company that needs addressing, they just choose whatever fits their budget and don’t bother to read up on the outsourced developer’s history, experience, culture, etc. Later when there are evidently clashes between the hiring company and the outsourced team, the project suffers. So, it is not that outsourcing does not work, rather the factor of human error is a major role player. So, the question arises, “What should I do to make sure outsourcing software works for me?”

Software Choice Matters a Lot
Steve Mezak, the founder and CEO of Accelerance, Inc., writes that in his 30+ years of IT experience, he has witnessed companies lose thousands of dollars over merely choosing the wrong software. Moreover, the valuable time that was wasted in trying to make it work for a long time cannot be overlooked. Therefore, making the correct software choice for outsourcing purposes is fundamental.

Don’t Settle for Less Money
You cannot just go into the outsourcing world with a the-cheaper-the-better attitude and then expect quality results. Working with high-quality developers will ensure that all your company’s demands and requirements are met and, in most cases, exceeded. The catch is that you do your homework; read up on the candidates very carefully, analyze everything you need, and choose the one that ticks all your boxes. Steve recommends that you should never go with the first search result on Google.

Ensure Vast Experience History
Ideally, the right developer will bring to the table his/her extensive experience gathered through working on software across multiple industries. It is no doubt that outsourced developers often work with multiple companies and take on various projects, so they can provide easy and quick solutions to rather difficult problems. As a matter of fact, numerous outsourcing software companies establish regular meetings, where the team members actively share information on everything they’re working on.

Helpful Parting Tips
After having finalized your decision about choosing a qualified developer, consider the following two tips to strengthen and effectively maintain a partnership with your outsourced developing team.

1. Avoid Ordering Around
Don’t assert your dominance over your newfound partnership. Always place your criticisms and ideas by stating them as a suggestion rather than a firm order. For example, instead of saying, “This approach is impractical”, you can say, “I propose some counter ideas to your approach”. Moreover, don’t say things like, “This is exactly what I require”; instead try laying out a general outline for the team to follow by saying, “This is what I think I want”.

2. Collaborate
You need to be very upfront with your developing team and ask them as to how they usually collaborate with their clients. Your team should have a proactive approach; they must ask as many questions as required in order to grasp the full concept of the project before working on it.
Moreover, they should actively present innovative ideas to try and exceed the company expectations.